Childcare isn't just for kids

The term childcare conjures up an image of a baby in
swaddling cloth being doted over by a kindly nursery nurse. And while that is one element, actually it stretches far wider... any
childcare you're paying for includes children of school age too.

School age generally means aged 16, but there are slightly different rules for tax credits and vouchers.

For both, you're able to claim the tax credits up to the first Saturday following 1 September after your child’s 15th birthday
(or 16th birthday if they're registered blind or receive Disability Living Allowance)

So...

If you're paying for your stubbly six foot 14 year-old to go to an after school or summer holiday club that can
count too.

It must be a registered provider

Whether you're paying with vouchers, tax credits or cash, the key is that the childcare provision is registered and regulated.
This includes after school and summer clubs, nurseries, playgroups, nanny, childminder or au pairs.

If you ask, most providers will simply tell you if they're registered but you can find out from your local authority’s
children’s services department or search for your nearest Family Information Service on the Family & Childcare Trust website which
should be able to tell you about the provision available in your area.

Step 1: Grab tax credits

It's a common misconception that tax credits are for the unemployed. Actually, for help with childcare it's the opposite - you
have to be in work. The Childcare Tax Credit is designed to help working parents cover some of the cost, so that they still gain by
working.

The money available can be huge, so it's important to check you're eligible and it's possible 100,000s of families are missing
out.

Did you know?
The average childcare tax credit payout is around £60 PER WEEK. That's OVER £3,000 per year!

It's worth knowing it's not officially called the Childcare Tax Credit, its technical name is the
Childcare Element of
Working Tax Credit
, yet as that's long-winded we've shortened it for the purposes of this guide. Please note it's
not the same as Child Tax Credit.

Unfortunately the entitlement system and eligibility criteria are ridiculously complex and depend on the number of kids you
have, plus the cost of your childcare.

So the question is: Do I qualify?

To qualify for childcare tax credit you must:

Be a single parent working 16+ hours a week, or
Be in a couple both working 16+ hours a week

If that's you, and your total household income's under £46,000, you should
DEFINITELY check your entitlement.

Having said that, even some with household income above £46,000 may be eligible for decent payouts, especially if you have more
than one child, or a disabled child. Also, if either you or a partner are disabled you both may not need to work 16+ hours a
week.

For a full and detailed guide to Tax Credits see the Tax Credits guide.

Childcare tax credit Q&A

If you're entitled to tax credits, it's worth understanding your rights before starting. Don't worry, it's not too complex and
while you will have to fill out forms, there's a helpline to assist you.

How do I apply and check my exact eligibility?

Rather strangely the government has moved away from the internet for tax credits and prefers people to call the tax
credit helpline on 0345 300 3900 to see if they're eligible and find out how to apply. The helpline is open every day,
including weekends, from 8am to 8pm (although you can also check on the HMRC Questionnaire).

How much will I get?

You can currently get help for up to 70% of eligible childcare costs, but there's a limit to the total cost. The weekly
limit is £175 for one child, or £300 for two or more. However, you can only get up to 70% of this maximum, though what you
actually get depends on your income.

No of kids

Max weekly childcare covered

Max payout (70% of childcare)

1

£175

£122.50

2+

£300

£210

How is the cash paid?

It's paid directly into your bank or building society account each week or month.

What counts as being a single parent?

If you're married or living with someone, then you must put in a joint, rather than single, application for tax credits.
You can only put in a single claim if you don’t have a partner. If you're a permanently separated couple, then you are
counted as a single parent and the payment is made to the child’s main carer.

What counts as income?

It’s any money earned from paid work (or self-employed profits) plus any extra income above £300 you (or a partner)
receive from a pension, savings, renting out a property, or things such as a trust or interest in the estate of a person
who has died. Overtime only counts if you work the hours regularly.

You don’t need to include maintenance money (payment from an ex-partner to help cover the costs of raising your
children) or your children’s income.

When do I need to apply by?

You can apply at any time during the year if you're making a new application, though if you're renewing and have been
asked to send back a form, you need to do that by 31 July each year.

What do I do if the childcare costs increase or decrease?

If your childcare costs go up, call the tax credits helpline and tell them about it, as you may be able to get more
money and if you're late you can only backdate it for one month.

If the costs go down, do the same as you're then being overpaid and will have to give the money back, never easy if
you've already spent it.

I use/pay more for childcare in the holidays, am I still eligible?

Yes. If you pay more in the summer, your assessment's based on your average year-round childcare costs and that includes
summer and other holidays. So add up the total cost for the year and that's what you say. This means you need to try to
budget over 12 months. Use the free Budget Planner
to help.

If you just pay for care in the summer, you'll only get a payment during that time so contact the Tax Credit office to
tell them as soon as you can.

What if I lose my job or have my hours cut to under 16?

This benefit is for parents who work over 16 hours a week, so you won't be eligible anymore (unless you get new work).
You do need to inform the tax credit office or you could have the money reclaimed at a later date, really hitting your cash
flow. The tax credit won't be cut off immediately though, you should get a four-week grace period.

The premise of this policy is that if you're not working, you don't need childcare. If you have lost a job or had hours
cut, see the Redundancy and Mortgage Arrears Help
guides.

For a generalised check-up of whether you’re getting all the help you're due, read the Benefits Check-Up guide

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Step 2: Can you get childcare vouchers?

Childcare vouchers are a little known scheme, which can
save many parents with kids aged up to 15 over £1,000 a year on childcare. They need to be offered via employers, but many
large and small companies take part.

The key is it enables you to pay for childcare out of your PRE-TAX and National Insurance income. While this doesn’t sound like anything special, the benefit is huge. Most employers work it on a salary sacrifice system, which works something like this (basic
rate tax example)...

You give up £1,000 of salary, worth £700ish in your pocket after tax & National Insurance. You get £1,000 of Childcare vouchers. This
means you're £300 better off per grand

Of course, once you no longer need to pay for childcare, you simply get your salary back.

BOTH parents (if basic rate tax payers or higher/top payers who joined the scheme before 5 Apr 2011) are allowed to get a
maximum of £243 per month worth of vouchers meaning some families will gain £1,000s from this over a year.

From 6 Apr 2011 new joiners paying higher or top rate tax had their allowance dropped so that all tax payers have roughly
the same maximum tax gain. The current limits are £28 a week for higher rate and £25 a week for
top rate payers.

What is the new Tax-Free childcare scheme?

The Government's announced a new Tax-Free Childcare scheme will replace the existing childcare vouchers programme in autumn
2015.

The new scheme will be available to everyone who works more than eight hours a week, earning more than £2,420 a year (both
parents must work if you're a couple) and who pays for childcare. Unlike Childcare Vouchers, it'll be open to the self-employed
too.

Under the initiative, eligible families will get 20% of their yearly childcare costs up to £10,000 per child paid for by the
Government. This could mean payments of up to £2,000 per child.

We've a fuller description of the changes, including an analysis of who wins and who loses, in the Childcare Vouchers guide.

Warning! Childcare vouchers can impact credits

Childcare vouchers are a great concept, but will affect how much Childcare Tax Credit you can claim. So while many gain from
the vouchers, some people, especially on lower incomes are WORSE off using the vouchers.

This happens because..

Vouchers don't count as paying for childcare

The more you pay in childcare, the more tax credit you're eligible for, but any amount you pay in vouchers doesn't count
towards that. For example, if you pay £100 a week for childcare, but use £60 of vouchers, for tax credit purposes you're
only spending £40 a week on childcare, so it's this figure you must enter on your Tax Credit claim form.

You must notify the tax credit office within a month that you've started using childcare vouchers, so any changes can be
taken into account. You may be fined if you don't.

When's it worth using vouchers?

Hard and fast rules are very difficult as there are so many variables... but here's some rough guidance.

Salary sacrifice means you've a lower income. If you're giving up salary to get vouchers,
then for benefit purposes you earn a lower amount, this will increase your eligibility for tax credits.

If you're not eligible for childcare tax credits. In this case, there's no problem, so if
you're a couple where one works under 16 hours a week, or a single parent who does, or your income is too high to qualify,
then there's no impact. So go for the vouchers.

If you've childcare costs above £175 a week for one child, £300 for two or more. You will always be
better off using vouchers for any amount above that, and may be better off for amounts below (the higher your salary the
more likely).

Do a more detailed comparison on the Government’s HMRC vouchers vs. credits calculator to check in detail or call the Tax Credit Helpline on 0345 300
3900.

Step 3. Free childcare for 3 or 4 year olds

There are free ‘early learning’ classes (includes time at a school-attached nursery) available for all three or four
year-olds (starting from the term after your child's third birthday).

For at least 38 weeks a year you’re entitled to 15 hours a week (to be spread over at least three days). Families with a low
income may also get free classes for two year olds.

Things may be slightly different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, contact your nearest Family Information Service to
check your entitlement.

In practice this provision is offered at a range of places including Sure Start children’s centres, nurseries, pre-schools
and childminders. So if you're paying for childcare, you can swap it for this free provision which could add up to a hefty
saving over the year.

Check what's available out of school hours: Use the Gov.UK site to find out contact
details for your local council and call to find out if they offer anything.

Contact schools, community centres & youth groups: Usually over the summer, and sometimes
during Easter and Christmas, thousands of schemes across the UK offer a range of activities for children, from sports
coaching to dance and music sessions. Get in touch with them to find out what's on offer.

Is there a school holiday day camp near you?SuperCamps run school holiday day camps for 4-16 year olds across the country and have some interesting
activities on offer. Or you could try Activate Sport summer camps.

Researching the above is a safe and cheap way to resolve holiday childcare needs and if you need to pay for it, then this
can be part of your Childcare Tax Credit application (as long as the provider is Ofsted registered). You can usually pay for
the holiday provision with Childcare Vouchers, although it's best to check before booking that the school you've picked allows
this.

More ways to entertain kids:

For more ideas on how to keep your little ones busy, see the following related guides:

Can grandparents benefit from childcare?

It's estimated grandparents provide 1.7 billion hours of
childcare every year for more than 1.5 million grandchildren. However, they can't be paid for it using childcare vouchers or
childcare tax credits, as they don't provide regulated childcare.

However, there is a way for some grandparents (and others) to gain. If you care for grandchildren aged under 12, this can
qualify for Class 3 National Insurance credits (known as Specified Adult Childcare Credits). These count towards your
qualifying years for a full state pension.

If you're retiring before April 2016, you need 30 qualifying working years to get the full state pension. If you're retiring
after April 2016, that's raised to 35 years. (Read our State Pensions guide to find out more about qualifying NI years).

If you're looking after grandchildren, and you need extra qualifying years, it's worth getting recognition for the childcare
you provide. But, it's not quite that simple. You need to claim these credits - they won't be automatically added to your NI
record.

For grandparents to be eligible for the National Insurance credits, working parents need to give up the NI credits they
receive when they claim child benefit and transfer them to the grandparent doing the caring - they're transferrable
credits.

You also need to time your claims. If you cared for a grandchild in the last tax year, you need to apply in the October
after the end of the tax year for the credit to be transferred.

You need to fill in the catchily-titled form CA9176
and send it off to HMRC. Both you and the parent transferring the credit need to sign the form.

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